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Background: Cancer survivor-caregiver dyads from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and those with lower socioeconomic status are less likely to participate in clinical research. Sociocultural and socioeconomic barriers perpetuate health inequity and increase disparities in cancer care. Purpose: We describe our systematic approach to recruiting and retaining diverse survivor-caregiver dyads in supportive cancer care studies. Methods: Matsuda's research recruitment guidelines of evaluate, engage, reflect, and carefully match (“EERC”) were adapted and applied through a framework of six guiding principles. Results: A systematic approach to recruitment of underrepresented dyads in cancer support research includes 1) Developing a bilingual, bicultural study team with shared language and culture of the study population, 2) Ensuring team members share a passion for cancer health equity and are trained with a community-centric approach, 3) Designing accessible interventions, study materials, and shared data collection tools across similar studies with community and stakeholder input, 4) Engaging local and regional stakeholders with expertise of health disparities among the catchment area, 5) Partnering with Community Health Workers (CHWs) and gatekeepers to enhance community presence, and 6) Ensuring careful application of matching study team members and participants beyond race and ethnicity to prioritize the cultural values and social factors that impact cancer survivors and caregivers. Conclusion: Applying a systematic approach to recruiting and retaining underrepresented dyads in cancer research can potentially reduce sociocultural and socioeconomic barriers to cancer health equity.

Introduction: Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of preventable cancers and other premature morbidity and mortality. Modifying hormonal patterns using hormonal contraceptives (HCs) may lead to improved smoking cessation outcomes in women, though the acceptability of this is unknown. Therefore, we explored the willingness of reproductive-age women who smoke to use HC for cessation. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with a convenience sample of reproductive-age women living in the United States who self-reported smoking combustible cigarettes. Questions covered smoking history, previous HC use, and willingness to use various HC methods (i.e., injectable, oral, patch, vaginal insert) for cessation. Chi-squared tests and logistic regression were conducted using StataBE 17.1. Results: Of 358 eligible respondents, n?=?312 (86.9%) reported previous HC use. Average age of those with HC use history was 32.1???6.1 years compared with 27.8???6.7 years for those without history of HC use (p?=?0.001). Of respondents who reported previous HC use, 75.6% reported willingness to use HCs, compared with 60.9% of those without a history of HC use. Overall, willingness to use various types of HC ranged from 22.6% for the vaginal insert to 59.2% willing to use an oral contraceptive. Discussion: These observations indicate that most women who smoke cigarettes are willing to use HC for a smoking cessation aid, especially if they have a history of HC use and with an oral form of HC. To improve the rate of smoking cessation for women of reproductive age, future interventions should explore how to incorporate HC for cessation.

Introduction: Cancer rates increase with age, and older cancer survivors have unique medical care needs, making assessment of health status and identification of appropriate supportive resources key to delivery of optimal cancer care. Comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGAs) help determine an older person’s functional capabilities as cancer care providers plan treatment and follow-up care. Despite its proven utility, research on implementation of CGA is lacking.Methods: Guided by a qualitative description approach and through interviews with primary care providers and oncologists, our goal was to better understand barriers and facilitators of CGA use and identify training and support needs for implementation. Participants were identified through Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network partner listservs and a national cancer and aging organization. Potential interviewees, contacted via email, were provided with a description of the study purpose. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom, recorded, and transcribed verbatim by a professional transcription service. The interview guide explored providers’ knowledge and use of CGAs. For codebook development, three representative transcripts were independently reviewed and coded by four team members. The interpretive process involved reflecting, transcribing, coding, and searching for and identifying themes.Results: Providers shared that, while it would be ideal to administer CGAs with all new patients, they were not always able to do this. Instead, they used brief screening tools or portions of CGAs, or both. There was variability in how CGA domains were assessed; however, all considered CGAs useful and they communicated with patients about their benefits. Identified facilitators of implementation included having clinic champions, an interdisciplinary care team to assist with implementation and referrals for intervention, and institutional resources and buy-in. Barriers noted included limited staff capacity and competing demands on time, provider inexperience, and misaligned institutional priorities.Discussion: Findings can guide solutions for improving the broader and more systematic use of CGAs in the care of older cancer patients. Uptake of processes like CGA to better identify those at risk of poor outcomes and intervening early to modify treatments are critical to maximize the health of the growing population of older cancer survivors living through and beyond their disease.

BackgroundHispanic survivors of cancer experience increased cancer burden. Lifestyle behaviors, including diet and physical activity, may reduce the cancer burden. There is limited knowledge about the posttreatment lifestyle experiences of Hispanic survivors of cancer living on the United States–Mexico border. ObjectiveThis study aims to support the development of a stakeholder-informed, culturally relevant, evidence-based lifestyle intervention for Mexican-origin Hispanic survivors of cancer living in a border community to improve their dietary quality and physical activity. MethodsSemistructured interviews with 12 Mexican-origin Hispanic survivors of breast cancer and 7 caregivers were conducted through internet-based teleconferencing. The interviews explored the impact of cancer on lifestyle and treatment-related symptoms, perception of lifestyle as an influence on health after cancer, and intervention content and delivery preferences. Interviews were analyzed using a deductive thematic approach grounded in the Quality of Cancer Survivorship Care Framework. ResultsKey survivor themes included perception of Mexican diet as unhealthy, need for reliable diet-related information, perceived benefits of physical activity after cancer treatment, family support for healthy lifestyles (physical and emotional), presence of cancer-related symptoms interfering with lifestyle, and financial barriers to living a healthy lifestyle. Among caregivers, key themes included effects of the cancer caregiving experience on caregivers’ lifestyle and cancer-preventive behaviors and gratification in providing support to the survivors. ConclusionsThe interviews revealed key considerations to the adaptation, development, and implementation of a theory-informed, evidence-based, culturally relevant lifestyle program to support lifestyle behavior change among Mexican-origin Hispanic survivors of cancer living in border communities. Our qualitative findings highlight specific strategies that can be implemented in health promotion programming aimed at encouraging cancer protective behaviors to reduce the burden of cancer and comorbidities in Mexican-origin survivors of cancer living in border communities.